10 DC Villains Who Actually Won

Over time, DC Comics has crafted superheroes and formidable villains by blending elements from a variety of literary heroes and antagonists. The might and skill of DC’s superheroes are legendary, making their adversaries equally exceptional. Throughout the comics, epic battles have taken place, with our heroes demonstrating incredible resilience in defeating seemingly insurmountable challenges. Yet, despite their consistent victories, they have not always emerged triumphant. In fact, they’ve suffered defeats when confronting villains who pushed the odds even further against them.

Even the mightiest and adept DC superheroes and groups suffer significant defeats in their history. These setbacks frequently serve as catalysts for their victories later on, yet they don’t diminish the gravity of their predicaments. Occasionally, the villains have devised strategies so cunning that the heroes were forced to concede defeat. In other instances, the villains managed to outmatch their opponents. These defeats are hard to overlook in the heroic records of DC characters, and these ten villains have earned legendary status by managing to best the most formidable superheroes.

10) The Kindly Ones

The Sandman is a renowned work within its genre, despite the controversies surrounding its author. The narrative introduces Morpheus, a character that weaves together various mythical entities from across history, such as the Fates. Initially depicted as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, the Fates make their debut in the initial storyline of the series. Throughout the book, they manifest under diverse names and aspects, embodying the concept of the triple goddess. Among these forms are the Kindly Ones.

When Lyta Hall’s son Daniel goes missing, she accuses Dream of being responsible. Her mental health deteriorates, leading her to seek refuge at the home of the Fates, now transformed into the Furies. The Furies pursue Daniel due to his murder of a family member – himself – rather than any wrongdoing against Lyta and Hector Hall.

Lyta’s body is later used by the Kindly Ones to launch an attack on the Dreaming, resulting in mass casualties. Dream devises a plan but must leave his fortress to repay a debt to the fairy Nuala, thereby allowing the Kindly Ones access to the castle. Although he could potentially defeat the Furies, doing so would likely distort reality and bear catastrophic consequences.

Consequently, Dream chooses to take his own life, thus preserving his realm, enabling Daniel to become the new Dream, and granting the Kindly Ones their vengeance for the spilling of family blood. Although they did not deliver the final blow, the Kindly Ones ultimately emerged victorious in this ordeal.

9) Ozymandias

In a simpler and more conversational style:

Ozymandias was a wealthy young man who believed in harnessing his abilities to attain the peak of human excellence, aspiring to match Alexander the Great’s greatness. He was part of the second generation of heroes on Earth. However, he later came to realize that their heroic efforts were ultimately futile. This scenario is explored in the comic book series Watchmen.

In this story, Ozymandias devised a plan to preserve the world at the expense of millions of lives. His evil schemes remained hidden until The Comedian stumbled upon his island where he was creating a psychic bioweapon. This discovery eventually led to the unraveling of Ozymandias’ wicked deeds.

Ozymandias was forced into a corner when he had to kill a government agent, which caught Rorschach’s attention. Despite the combined efforts of Rorschach, Nite Owl II, and Silk Spectre II to uncover what was happening, Ozymandias managed to manipulate everyone involved and ultimately succeed in his plan.

In the end, he managed to pull off the entire scheme (as depicted in Watchmen), but it came at a heavy cost: half of New York City’s population had to perish to prevent nuclear annihilation. However, Ozymandias’ wrongdoings were eventually exposed in the comics’ sequel Doomsday Clock and the HBO adaptation of Watchmen.

8) The Black Hand

Over time, Batman has faced many defeats, yet not all victories against him are the same. Some villains have managed to inflict more damage on Batman than others, such as Dr. Hurt and the Black Glove along with Cardinal Maggi, Sir Anthony, General Malenkov, Al-Kidhr, and Senator Vine. The Black Glove initiated their attack against Batman in Grant Morrison’s Batman series, revealing themselves during a murder mystery involving Batman, Robin, and the Club of Heroes. Beforehand, they had already targeted Bruce Wayne by introducing supermodel Jezebel Jett into his life. The Black Glove launched multiple attacks on Batman before delivering their most powerful blow, turning him into a street junkie who ruled over the Gotham underworld while Batman wandered the streets. Eventually, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh took control of Bruce’s body to defeat them, but Dr. Hurt (who claimed to be Thomas Wayne) returned to challenge Batman once more. Despite being defeated, the Black Glove displayed remarkable strength by overpowering Batman in a significant way.

7) Prometheus

In the realm of DC Comics, Prometheus is often overlooked yet is considered one of their less recognized yet formidable villains. Born from the mind of Grant Morrison and debuting in “New Year’s Evil: Prometheus” #1, this antagonist made a significant mark by attacking the Justice League’s headquarters, the Watchtower, in issues 16-17 of JLA. In this battle, he managed to defeat every member of the League, although he couldn’t quite bring down the Watchtower due to Catwoman’s clever ruse as a reporter there for its opening ceremony.

Later, Prometheus allied himself with the Injustice Gang, almost causing destruction on Earth again during Mageddon’s attack. However, his successor failed miserably in subsequent battles and was reduced to being Hush’s henchman. Yet, the original Prometheus continued to terrorize the Justice League, consistently staying one step ahead of them. He was responsible for the deaths of Lian Harper and bombings of numerous cities. Green Arrow eventually tracked him down and put an end to his reign of terror.

Even after his apparent death, Prometheus resurfaced, working with Deathstroke’s Dark Army to defeat the Teen Titans. All in all, this villain has had a significant impact on the DC Universe, making him one of the most dangerous foes you may not know about.

6) The Crime Syndicate

In the vast expanse of the DC Multiverse, the Crime Syndicate has long been recognized as one of the most formidable powers. Hailing from Earth-Three, these rulers managed to seize control of their planet, a notable achievement. They have clashed with both the Justice League and the Justice Society in the past. Despite meeting their end during the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’, a new version of the Crime Syndicate emerged post-‘Crisis’, confronting the League multiple times. The advent of the New 52 saw the birth of a new Earth-3, and this world was marked by the Anti-Monitor. Although the Anti-Monitor prevailed against them, the Crime Syndicate managed to flee to the Prime Earth, with the intent of conquering it. This led to a battle between the Crime Syndicate – comprising Ultraman, Superwoman, Owl-Man, Johnny Quick, Power Ring, Deathstorm, and Atomika – and the Justice League. In this encounter, the Crime Syndicate managed to overcome the League before targeting the broader metahuman community, including both heroes and villains. The Crime Syndicate was ultimately defeated, but thanks to Lex Luthor’s intervention, they still boast a victory over the Justice League in their records.

5) Bane

Bane is now considered one of Batman’s most formidable enemies, possibly even his greatest. He has scored two of Batman’s most significant defeats. His initial attack on Gotham City led him to free other villains, causing chaos that drained Batman’s resources. When Batman was at his weakest, Bane struck, overpowering the Dark Knight and causing severe injury that left him incapacitated for a while. This period marked the temporary replacement of Batman by Jean-Paul Valley, leading to a string of losses. After reemerging with the Secret Six, Bane launched his most extensive attack on Batman yet. With the help of Psycho-Pirate, he manipulated almost every villain in Gotham and collaborated with Hugo Strange and Flashpoint Batman. This allowed him to outsmart Batman, sustaining heavy losses that eventually led to his victory. Bane managed to drive Batman and his family out of Gotham City, seizing control over it. Unlike other villains, Bane was successful in taking Gotham away from Batman’s grasp.

4) Lex Luthor

In simpler terms, Lex Luthor is often depicted as a formidable and cunning villain, particularly in older comic book stories like Silver Age “imaginary tales” (forerunners of Elseworlds). He’s known for executing dangerous schemes that usually result in defeats for his adversaries. Some of these victories are more significant than others. For instance, Lex Luthor ran for President of the United States and won fairly, without resorting to cheating. In the story “Our World at War”, he assisted heroes in fighting Imperiex. In the series “Forever Evil”, he formed a team that overpowered the triumphant Crime Syndicate, saving the world, and later helped the Justice League defeat both Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor in “Darkseid War”. After the end of the New 52, he even created a suit of armor to fight as a substitute for Superman. Post-Crisis, he worked with Perpetua as the leader of the Legion of Doom, constantly outsmarting the Justice League on multiple occasions. This is why Lex Luthor is widely feared.

3) The Batman Who Laughs

The character known as the “Batman Who Laughs” began his reign of terror nearly from birth, following a dose of Joker venom that corrupted Batman to match the Clown Prince of Crime’s insanity. In this twisted form, he attempted to wipe out every person on Earth. Later, recruited by Barbatos, he fought against the Justice League but was defeated and imprisoned in the Hall of Justice. Escaping, he formed his own team called the Secret Six, transforming Shazam, Donna Troy, Supergirl, Blue Beetle, James Gordon, and Hawkman into evil doppelgangers of himself. During Perpetua’s assault on reality, the Batman Who Laughs triumphed over Lex Luthor, ascending to Perpetua’s side. Together, they subjugated the Justice League and seized control of the Multiverse. Almost defeated by Wonder Woman, his consciousness was transferred into Doctor Bathattan’s body, becoming the “Darkest Knight” or the “Multiverse Who Laughs.” He murdered Perpetua and Superboy-Prime before being vanquished by Wonder Woman. At his end, the Batman Who Laughs left a lasting mark as one of DC Comics’ most formidable villains from his very first appearance.

2) Darkseid

In simpler terms, Darkseid is often referred to as the embodiment of evil in the DC Universe, a villain known for his immense power that outmatches most heroic figures. He’s so terrifying that even his enemies cower before him. His primary goal is to obtain the Anti-Life Equation, which grants him absolute control over anyone he touches. A notable example of this is in “Final Crisis,” where he nearly conquered half the world and almost destroyed the entire Multiverse. More recently, he was part of the Dark Army that defeated the Justice League before the events of “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.” His latest victory involves creating the Absolute Universe, as depicted in “DC All-In” #1, where he sacrifices his elites for more power, takes the energies of the Spectre, and battles the Justice League. Despite being “defeated,” Darkseid still manages to take control of a new Earth created at the end of “Death Metal.” Known for his unpredictable nature, no one knows what his future plans hold in the DC Multiverse.

1) Perpetua

In the realm of DC Comics, Perpetua is renowned as one of the most powerful villains. Originally a Hand, these beings have the ability to generate multiverses. Her ambition was nothing less than dominion over all creation, with her intended masterpiece being the DC Multiverse itself, serving as her ultimate weapon. The other Hands, however, managed to subdue her and banished her beyond the Source Wall. An unforeseen event occurred when the Justice League inadvertently breached the Source Wall while defending against the Omega Titans, allowing Perpetua access to her creation once more.

In time, Perpetua allied with the Legion of Doom and together they overpowered the Justice League, seizing control of the Multiverse. Ultimately, Perpetua was slain by the Darkest Knight, but her reign remains a testament to her prowess and her lasting impact on the Multiverse.

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2025-08-20 23:51